November 2022

Dear Winston Families, Colleagues and Friends,

Winston 102, part of the Winston Innovation Lab (WIL) Professional Learning Program geared at supporting second year faculty, strengthens student outcomes by developing instructors’ understanding of the key facets of cognition. Within the complete scope of WIL’s professional development programming, Winston 102 builds upon the foundational knowledge established in Winston 101, and captures the importance of not only understanding the science of learning, but directly applying that understanding to our work with students. Through a series of topics such as Understanding Working Memory and Understanding Visual Spatial Skills, second year faculty members deepen their knowledge of the elements of cognition that most significantly impact our students’ academic and social emotional learning and performance while connecting this understanding to evidence-based practice, learning how best to support these cognitive processes while working to remediate both academic skills and the Qualities of a Sustainable and Independent Learner (QSIL). WIL’s Winston 102 specifically supports your child’s teachers in strengthening assessment and understanding of their students while applying the Continuous Feedback System to refine highly individualized programming in an ongoing and responsive way.

In addition to the direct support provided in the monthly Winston 102 sessions described above, faculty members explore supplemental resources on the WIL Faculty Learning Library to further inform their understanding of cognition and learning.

In the conversation below, Jaclyn Baharestani, WIL Special Projects Coordinator, discusses goals and objectives for Winston 102 with two participants, Sennett Cooke (WPSCT) and Caitlin Logan (Winston Online).

Jaclyn: What did you find to be the most valuable about participating in Winston 101 last year?

Caitlin: Winston's model is very individualized and evidence-based in terms of how we address the primary learning differences that we serve, so it was helpful to have each Winston 101 session focus on a different learning disorder and to look at students who exemplified each profile including their assessment scores, strengths and weaknesses, and strategies. I can't tell you how many times I went back to Winston 101 powerpoints to look for strategies! Having the information broken down into primary areas of learning disorder, while also recognizing that there are a lot of gray areas, allowed me to understand my students better.

Sennett: Learning about the Continuous Feedback System was a very important part of Winston 101 for me. It's so great to have such a concrete understanding of this system so that not only can we recognize what is going on with our students, but we are also able to communicate our understanding to families.

Jaclyn: As you enter Winston 102, which will focus on the science of learning and cognition, what do you hope to get out of your professional learning?

Sennett: I'm looking forward to better understanding how the specific aspects of each learning profile show up in the classroom, and how we build from students’ strengths and areas of weakness to develop a program.

Caitlin: When teaching in the classroom, I want to have that deeper understanding of what these cognitive weaknesses actually look like for my students beyond what I can read in their profiles. Actually understanding the science of what is going on in my students' brains will be enormously helpful in order to target their learning and areas of growth.

A special thank you to Sennett and Caitlin for sharing their insights with us!

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Winston Preparatory School is a leading school for students with learning disabilities, including dyslexia, executive functioning difficulties (ADHD), and non-verbal learning disorders (NVLD).

WPS does not discriminate against applicants and students on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin. The Winston Preparatory School provides programs and services and equal opportunity in the administration of its educational and admissions policies, financial aid programs, employment, and the selection of its governing board without regard to gender, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability status, or any status recognized by federal, state and local civil rights and non-discrimination laws.